OBJECTIVE: The project involves the development of a core laboratory which will provide pharmacokinetic data for cancer patients receiving therapy with cancer chemotherapeutic agents. The primary objective will be to gain a better understanding of the disposition of cancer drugs in patients in order to optimize their drug therapy. APPROACH: The project is focusing on the development and application of analytical methods suitable for the quantitation of cancer drugs and their metabolites in biological fluid specimens obtained from patients. Once suitably sensitive and specific methods are available, they will be applied to blood, plasma, urine, CSF and other biological fluids from patients. The concentration-time profiles will be evaluated using pharmacokinetic models in attempts to relate onset and duration of therapeutic and toxic responses to the drug treatment regimens.